The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Tian Feng was startled.

Just now, he was so annoyed that Xiahou Yuan broke through the encirclement that he didn't think carefully about why Xiahou Yuan had to flee in such a hurry when reinforcements arrived. Now, after listening to Liu Bei's analysis, he suddenly realized the truth.

In his heart, Tian Feng admired Liu Bei's ability to discern opportunities even more: just by observing Xiahou Yuan and his reinforcements' reactions, he guessed the situation of Xiahou Yuan's main camp. General Zuo is truly a genius!
Without hesitation, Tian Feng called upon his generals and soldiers to join forces with Liu Bei, and several thousand troops, carrying the momentum of a great victory, launched a surprise attack on Xiahou Yuan's main camp.

Before they even arrived, they saw Qian Zhao arrive defeated.

"Is Zijing alright?"

Without asking, Liu Bei guessed the reason for Qian Zhao's defeat: Xiahou Yuan's main force had returned, and Qian Zhao was unable to resist and was defeated.

In comparison, Liu Bei was more concerned about whether Qian Zhao was injured.

"I'm fine," Qian Zhao replied simply, then urged urgently, "Xiahou Yuan has just returned to his stronghold, and his morale is not yet restored. My lord, you should quickly launch a strong attack and break through the stronghold!"

Liu Bei sternly cracked his whip: "That's exactly what I was thinking too. I'll hand over all my cavalry to Zijing. I'll lead the infantry to attack the main gate, while Zijing will lead the cavalry to attack the flanks."

After the combined forces were assembled, Liu Bei also had 5,000 soldiers.

Although Xiahou Yuan initially had 10,000 infantry and cavalry, he lost several hundred men in Chengping due to Xu Shu's scheme, and then lost over a thousand men in the attack on Lecheng. Tonight, after being ambushed by Liu Bei, he suffered several hundred casualties and over a thousand scattered. Moreover, the casualties and scattered troops were the elite of Xiahou Yuan's 10,000 infantry and cavalry, while those left behind in the camp were mostly troops recruited from Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan.

Therefore, Xiahou Yuan no longer posed a military advantage over Liu Bei!

More importantly, Xiahou Yuan had just suffered a defeat and his morale was not yet restored, which was the perfect opportunity for Liu Bei to launch a strong attack and break through the camp!
The army quickly approached Xiahou Yuan's main camp.

Xiahou Yuan, who had not yet had a chance to rest, was shocked to hear that Liu Bei had arrived. He was both anxious and furious: "You big-eared scoundrel, you've gone too far in bullying me!"

Despite the insults, Xiahou Yuan dared not let his guard down and quickly organized his troops to defend the main camp.

Zhang Zhi, the Prefect of Hejian, who had learned of Liu Bei's great victory from the city walls of Lecheng, also acted decisively, organizing the officials and laborers in the city to prepare food and drink to send to Liu Bei's army.

That is the advantage of defending a city.

Although the troop strength is insufficient, the officials, soldiers and civilians within the city can still be mobilized to assist with logistics.

Although Xiahou Yuan had a large number of troops, he could not commit them all to the siege. Even if he could forcibly conscript laborers to assist with logistics, the laborers would not be truly helpful.

One was forced to serve after being forcibly captured, while the other actively assisted out of fear that Cao Cao would massacre the city after it fell. Their efficiency was incomparable.

As officials and laborers of Lecheng risked their lives to deliver food to Liu Bei's army, the morale of Liu Bei's army soared once again.

What was originally a famished attack on the stronghold could now be a feast for all, and Xiahou Yuan's last remaining advantage in defending the stronghold had vanished!
"Zhang Zhi is indeed a capable minister. After this battle, he can be given an important position." Liu Bei instructed his men to record Zhang Zhi's merits, and then ordered Chen Dao to lead the White Feather Army to eat wine and meat first, in preparation for a strong attack later.

Liu Bei knew very well that Lecheng was only a hundred li away from Nanpi. When they learned that Liu Bei had appeared in Lecheng, Cao Cao's army in Nanpi would also come running.

The merits of capturing Liu Bei alive and conquering Nanpi are worlds apart.

Therefore, we must defeat Xiahou Yuan today in order to have a chance to thwart Cao Cao's spring offensive.

The war was raging, and Liu Bei's relentless attacks made Xiahou Yuan's scalp tingle.

"That big-eared thief is completely insane! Is he determined to fight me to the death?" Xiahou Yuan wolfed down the food and wine the cook had just brought out, his anger growing.

Xiahou Yuan was filled with regret. If he had adopted Xu Huang's plan and waited for Cao Chun to lead his troops before launching a joint attack on Liu Bei, he would not be in this predicament.

Whether he was seething with resentment or regretting not heeding Xu Huang's advice, Xiahou Yuan could only hold his ground at this moment, hoping that Cao Chun would send reinforcements after learning of the victory. If Cao Chun arrived, they could turn the tide of battle.

Xiahou Yuan's idea was correct.

Yesterday, a messenger rushed to Nanpi to exchange intelligence with Cao Chun.

After discovering that there were no reinforcements from Zhuge Liang in the direction of Nanpi, Cao Chun made a decisive decision to leave Lü Qian and Zang Ba to make a show of force under the city of Nanpi, while Cao Chun led Zhang Liao and the main force of elite troops to Lecheng to join forces with Xiahou Yuan.

Once Liu Bei is defeated, Lecheng and Nanpi will be within easy reach.

Since it was merely a troop consolidation rather than reinforcement, Cao Chun did not advance overnight. Instead, he rested his troops overnight before setting off in the early hours of the morning.

In other words: Xiahou Yuan only needs to hold on today, and Cao Chun will be able to achieve success tomorrow!
however.

The idea was good, but reality was harsh.

Liu Bei never intended for Xiahou Yuan to survive the day. From morning to noon, and from noon to evening, they fought through the night.

The spring weather was also dry with no scorching sun, and there was no rain in the past two days, so Liu Bei did not have to worry about the weather affecting his attack on the camp.

As night fell, the Cao camp's defenders, unable to withstand the intense defense, finally showed a weakness.

A group of former Yuan soldiers who had been incorporated into the Yuan clan gathered together. Because of their status, these former Yuan soldiers had always been bullied by Xiahou Yuan's old soldiers and were not valued or trusted by Xiahou Yuan.

Normally, they dared not act rashly due to Xiahou Yuan's tyranny, but now that Xiahou Yuan had been defeated and his military prestige had been damaged, these former soldiers of the oppressed Yuan clan had gained courage.

After carefully weighing the pros and cons, this group of former Yuan soldiers set fire to the camp at night and falsely claimed to be acting as inside agents on Liu Bei's orders. They then seized the side gate to lure the cavalry into the camp.

In an instant, shouts of battle erupted within Xiahou Yuan's camp.

Upon hearing the commotion, Liu Bei, who was attacking the main gate, personally came to the front to direct the attack on the camp. If Tian Feng hadn't held him back, Liu Bei would almost have personally led the charge.

"The thief will be defeated tonight!"

Liu Bei drew his sword and shouted, and generals Chen Dao, Yang Qun, Ding Li, Liu Deran, Liu He, Zhao Du, and Huo Nu all charged forward with all their might, determined to use their last bit of strength to break through the camp.

At the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), Chen Dao led his White Feather Army to break through the main gate.

Liu Bei could no longer contain himself. He spurred his horse and led his troops in, brandishing his sword and shouting, "General Liu Bei is here! Those who lay down their weapons and surrender will not be killed!"

The chaos within the camp and the loss of the side gate had already exhausted Xiahou Yuan, and now that the main gate had been breached, Xiahou Yuan was even more unable to withstand Liu Bei's strong attack.

Enraged, Xiahou Yuan drew his sword and prepared to fight Liu Bei, hoping to capture Liu Bei alive and seize power through his bravery.

Liu Bei did not give Xiahou Yuan a chance. When he saw Xiahou Yuan attacking, he immediately ordered his left and right generals to launch a strong attack on Xiahou Yuan, also intending to capture Xiahou Yuan alive.

Faced with the combined attack of Liu Bei and his many generals, Xiahou Yuan, despite his considerable martial prowess, could only parry.

"The situation is urgent! General, we must flee!"

Seeing Liu Bei's fierce attack, the guards on either side hurriedly grabbed Xiahou Yuan, preventing him from fighting further. Seeing that Xiahou Yuan refused to leave, the guards, risking whippings, forcefully pulled away from the reins of Xiahou Yuan's horse, forcibly dragging him off the battlefield. (End of Chapter)